II. The Hartford Ghetto, 1973: Pitfalls and Problems of Community Psychology

Psychological problems among ghetto dwellers often result from deplorable living and social conditions that must be remedied before any long-term changes can be effected. In this follow-up of the preceding paper, the author takes a pessimistic view of his experiences as a community psychologist in the Hartford ghetto. He calls short-term therapy a Band-Aid approach and emphasizes that community politicization and the establishment of firm financial and power bases in the ghetto are needed before the roots of psychosocial distress can be eliminated.